Ag Policy Blog

A new report from USDA's Office of Inspector General points out more than 20,000 employees across every agency left USDA in the first half of 2025. Most of the job losses were through a buyout program. The cuts hit some agencies harder than others.

A bipartisan group of more than 100 members of Congress last week sent a letter to the House and Senate agriculture committee leaders urging them to tell USDA to provide aid to specialty crop growers as soon as possible under FBA. A USDA spokesperson also suggested USDA...

The Senate late Thursday confirmed a bloc of President Trump's nominees to high federal positions by a vote of 53 to 43. They included a new chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a new USDA undersecretary for food safety and a new chief negotiator for...

Under the FBA, $11 billion will go to commodity crop farmers while another $1 billion will be reserved for specialty crops. Economists at the University of Illinois have projected potential payments, which surprisingly show soybean farmers receiving less money than they did under...

Dairy industry groups are praising passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which will return whole milk as an option for children in schools. Dairy groups say the move provides a healthier alternative, though some critics cite that it will increase saturated fat for...

President Donald Trump had initiated plans to raise tariffs on Mexican imports by 5% because of the water dispute. In a statement late Friday, USDA announced Mexico has agreed to release 202,000-acre-feet of water to the United States with deliveries expected to begin this...

Jonathan Coppess, associate professor of farm policy at the University of Illinois, warns the traditional farm bill may be dead because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Diving into specific policies, Coppess said the farm policy changes in the bill, combined with a growing reliance...

In a new Executive Order issued on Saturday, President Donald Trump laid out the importance of ensuring lower food costs for Americans. Under the order, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will each establish task forces to investigate...

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office (USTR) held a three-day hearing this week to hear from a range of business, farm groups, non-governmental groups, think tanks, academics and others as part of a six-year review of USMCA and whether to extend the agreement.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week laid out multiple plans to diversify its oil trade while also propping up steel and softwood lumber industries, which face higher U.S. tariffs. Each of the moves could shift some trade away from the U.S. in the coming years, which could...

In a letter to USDA leaders, policy groups with diverse positions on federal spending are calling on the department to ensure any ad-hoc aid to farmers focuses on need and uses clear eligibility standards to reduce the risks of waste and fraud.

U.S. officials held a briefing with foreign press on the Ukraine negotiations. Maintaining and rebuilding Ukraine's ability to export grain is key component of the proposed framework that would end the war with Russia, officials said.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke early Monday on CNBC's Squawk Box. She said an aid package announcement will come in early December. The American Farm Bureau Federation also released an analysis highlighting the need for such aid.

The American Farm Bureau Federation's 40th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey shows the average cost of a 10-serving classic holiday meal is about 5% less than last year. The National Farmers Union also released its annual Thanksgiving Edition of the "Farmer's Share of the Food...

Livestock producers have until Nov. 21 to enroll in the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire (ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW). The programs have already paid out more than $1 billion to more than 348,000 applicants.

The email inbox can quickly fill up. Here are some announcements and news releases involving a range of policy issues including FSA reopening and President Trump signing agreements with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador and Ecuador. The group FarmSTAND also released some details...

Corn and soybean farmers will split $1.9 billion from Agricultural Risk Coverage-County payments for the 2024 crop, but acreage enrolled in Price Loss Coverage will lose out on payments this year.

On social media on Friday, President Donald Trump called for the Justice Department to immediately begin an investigation into meatpackers. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded that the DOJ's Antitrust Division is looking into the industry.

A ruling on Thursday by U.S. District Judge John McConnell was just the latest twist in the government shutdown and food aid to nearly 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The judge ordered the Trump administration to make full...

A former chairman of the Farm Credit Administration, Glen Smith, had his confirmation hearing Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. Senators had several areas where they want to see more attention paid by USDA.